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PerfManJ

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Everything posted by PerfManJ

  1. Hurry while supplies last! I still think this is the most cost-effective drag reduction option for the Herc, and they can be installed on any variant. From what I have read, LM wasn't having much luck selling their microvane kit after all the R&D and flight testing. So they licensed the tech to Metro Aerospace and they made their own refinements. The Canadians are installing the Metro kits on their Js.
  2. Thanks for the replies everyone. From here and other folks, the APU fuel consumption appears to range between 200 and 400 pph.
  3. What is the approximate fuel consumption of the C-130 APU on the ground under load? I'm interested in data for the H3 and J, if possible, in lb/hour or gal/hour. Thanks in advance!
  4. It's drag reduction which should save a little fuel, but mostly at low speeds. They don't do anything for takeoff performance and probably have some long term effects on wing life. Plus they add weight. I reiterate my preference for the "microvanes" - they clean up the dirtiest part of the plane, aerodynamically speaking.
  5. They finally did it! My bet is that the "microvanes" tested on the aft fuselage a few years ago are more effective at drag reduction and have less structural impact. But winglets have a more powerful visual impact.
  6. I'm a regular reader of ProPublica for their excellent, independent reporting on many important issues that don't make it on the evening news. Since last summer, they have been running an investigative series on Agent Orange exposure, it's long term health effects, the struggle to receive VA benefits, and changes in VA policy. They are also conducting a lot of research and soliciting the public to help them gather the documentation many vets need to claim benefits. I am not a vet and do not have a personal connection to this issue, but I know it does affect many members of this forum and there has been ample discussion on the topic. In case any members can benefit from or contribute to ProPublica's research, the link is listed below. Reliving Agent Orange
  7. NP2000 evaluation has been funded on and off for the past several years, but I believe the props have only been installed on a WYANG bird for the formal flight test and a Skibird for an operational test. The Skibirds will be the first to get them (once funding is approved) since they need the extra takeoff thrust to get off the ice in Greenland and Antarctica without JATO. The Skibirds have been the driver behind NP2000 for C-130s...but of course several other groups are interested in the extra performance as well. There is not much cruise fuel efficiency improvement with NP2000 (that's where the Series 3.5 engine really shines), but there is a major boost in low speed thrust. Plus many reliability and maintainability improvements over the 54H60.
  8. The Rolls Royce Series 3.5 engine upgrade is separate from any plans to use the NP2000 (8-blade) prop. Series 3.5 is an internal upgrade to several components of the T56 to improve fuel efficiency. Coincidentally, USAF used the same Wyoming ANG bird for the NP2000 and single-engine Series 3.5 test at Edwards. Then NOAA conducted their own 4-engine test on their P-3. Now, if USAF would combine the NP2000 and Series 3.5...that would be a sporty Herk.
  9. The OAT would have to be >90F to fall off the torque limit. For Afghanistan, that seems like a pretty benign elevation.
  10. No, I believe the extra length on the stretch J consists of an 80" plug aft of the wing, and a 100" plug in the forward fuselage.
  11. That C-130X article was from 1999...
  12. I can't find any concrete details on 5754 either. Both of the Israeli Herks (5723, 5742) are stretches (C-130J-30).
  13. Updating the cert of an old airplane is a massive pain. And Lockheed is feeling the burn again with the LM-100J. As for the AC-130J, we'll have to wait and see if any other details of these "departures" are released. I doubt it is anything new.
  14. FAA certification was a requirement of the launch customer (UK RAF) and the stick shaker would satisfy any stall warning requirements. But the stick pusher was added to prevent fully-developed stalls and the accompanying nasty roll-off.
  15. I don't recall much stall testing being done on the H-model with 8 blades. But the J stall test program was exhaustive, after the roll-off issue was identified and the stick shaker/pusher was installed.
  16. AMPTestFE is correct that all C-130's have stall roll-off, but it is more severe in the J (and the H's equipped with 8-blade props). Stall roll-off is the tendency of the aircraft to roll significantly when in a fully-developed stall. Since these characteristics were prevalent in the J, both a stick shaker and stick pusher were added to warn against and prevent fully-developed stalls. jbob, you may be on to something with banked stalls. What speed, flap setting, and bank angle is typically used in a gunship orbit?
  17. This is the second "departure from controlled flight" incident with the AC-130J; the first was in February and was noted in the latest DoD OT&E report. Sounds like some serious structural damage was sustained this time. Assuming you're able to share, does anyone know any details on the test conditions and the type of departure? I'm wondering if this is something new with the AC-130J configuration, or if the test program is just digging deeper into some of the known control issues with the J, like stall roll-off, rudder overbalance, etc
  18. There a few issues with this quiz, but everyone on here should still get 100%. http://www.codeonemagazine.com/quiz.html?item_id=1
  19. I can think of a half-dozen companies off the top of my head that offer off-the-shelf avionics upgrade/modernization packages for virtually every model of legacy C-130 (B-H). They range in complexity from basic CNS/ATM updates to meet new regulatory requirements all the way to full glass cockpit/HUD/EFB/FMS/etc modernization. Many foreign operators have completed these updates on their aircraft. All of the engineering work has been done and there is plenty of competition to get it done at an affordable cost. Pick a flavor and get to work. You could even choose several providers/configurations to best suit each variant of C-130 and avoid awarding a huge contract to one prime. The technical aspect of this is easy compared to the politics involved, unfortunately.
  20. Just a guess, but probably for the U.S. Forest Service for their incoming C-130 firefighting fleet. https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=2b40b1ee292fb97738afa93abf1027f3&_cview=0
  21. Thanks, Bob. Good call on the PB-4Y2s. There are a lot of fun places to search for old planes on Google Earth. I personally like to check out Edwards AFB and NASA Armstrong (formerly Dryden) periodically. They always have some one-of-a-kind airframes out in the sun. Like the F-16XL and F-15 ACTIVE at these coordinates [34.953865, -117.884046].
  22. Yep, those all look like C-97s. But what about those 4-engine planes just to the south, between the C-119s? They look too small to be C-97s and the fuselage is too slender. Any ideas? [ATTACH=CONFIG]4684[/ATTACH]
  23. No problem. You can save images from google maps (or any other window) using this method: once you have the view you want on your screen, press "Print Screen" which will take a snapshot of your screen. Then open Paint or some other image software and hit "Paste." I do that all the time.
  24. There were 8 C-130s intended for Libya, but none ever left Marietta. They are stored in 2 locations (33.900634, -84.516646 and 33.903918, -84.513492). You are correct that there is also an L-1011 TriStar at the first location, and the other airframe is a P-3.
  25. I believe there is only 1 flying and it's still in flight test. 5710. Not sure the mod status of others, but they are rolling off the line as MC-130J configuration. Total plan is for 32 AC-130J airframes...eventually.
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